1. Field of the Invention
A coin activated mechanism utilized for the regulating of dispensing products from a dispensing machine wherein a totalizer assembly accomplishes determination of the cumulative value of coins inserted so that access to or dispensing of a desired product may be accomplished.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In today's modern, rapid paced society, a large number and a wide variety of vending machines are being utilized for the dispensing of almost an infinite variety of goods and products to the general public. The vast majority of these types of machines are operated by means of depositing therein a preselected amount of money in the form of coins. Alternately, various checks which are similar to coins both in dimension and weight are utilized.
It is obvious that the utilization of an efficient, accurate and reliable coin totalizer mechanism is crucial in the succcess and growth of the vending machine industry. Generally, these coin mechanisms are mechanical, electrical or a combination of electro-mechanical in their mode of operation.
An increasing number of electrically actuated coin controlled vending machines are becoming available. Basically, these machines may be considered somewhat more "sophisticated" in that they are designed to vend or dispense a plurality of different kinds of brands of merchandise within a varying price range. In this type of application, electrically operated vending machines are considered to have certain advantages over mechanical vending machines. These generally relate to the factor of reliability wherein it may be considered that mechanical vending machines are more susceptible to abuse due to slamming, shaking or general rough treatment. This type of abusive treatment frequently results in mechanical failure of the mechanically operated vending machine because of the disruption of the linkage or gearing, etc. found therein.
Until recently, it is also considered that mechanical vending machines did not have the versatility to accept a wide variety of coins of various denomination in order to accomplish efficient dispensing of a product at one or more preselected prices. Accordingly, mechanical vending machines are more specifically, the coin totalizer mechanisms essentially controlling the dispensing of the product have been designed to handle a wide variety of coins deposited therein in any given sequence such that the mechanism will activate dispensing upon reaching or totalizing a predetermined quantity of money being deposited. In order to accomplish this versatility the design and structure of prior art coin totalizer mechanisms have become relatively complex thereby leading to increased rates of breakdown, less reliability and a greater expense for initial purchase and maintenance.
In accomplishing the handling of coins of different denominations and accordingly, different characteristics including weight and size, the complexity of commercially available coin mechanisms have increased with frequently questionable improved efficiency and performance in operation. Conventional prior art devices necessarily include some type of separation device wherein coins of various dimensional and/or weight characteristics are separated into separate coin passages or chutes whereby individual actuators are engaged or otherwise caused to react with some type of totalizer assembly so that the coins having the various different characteristics may be accurately registered. Dividing or separating the coins of various characteristics for the purpose of registering their denominations has been a common solution to the use of a wide variety of coins of various denominations. The disadvantages associated with such mechanisms, however, are again related to overly complex structures being both expensive, unreliable and also the very important fact that mechanisms of this type are considered to be generally bulky and take up more space than that originally intended or desired.
In addition, individual actuators have previously been required due to the fact that coin characteristics including both size and weight vary to a sufficient degree that a single actuator mechanism would be capable of handling all of the various differences in coin characteristics has previously not been found to be efficient or reliable. For instance, both the size and the weight of a dime varies greatly from the size and weight of a quarter. A common problem associated with mechanical coin mechanisms and totalizers is the fact that normally dimes or ten cent pieces have not had sufficient weight to do an adequate amount of "work" in terms of activating a mechanism to in turn register the passage of a dime through the totalizer mechanism. To the contrary, a quarter has more than enough weight to "trip" a lever-type actuator or other structural mechanism and thereby be efficiently registered with a controlling totalizer. The prior art has attempted to overcome such differernces in coin characteristics by providing different actuator mechanisms to handle the coins of varying sizes and weights. Again, this has led to overly expensive and unnecessarily complex and bulky mechanisms being commercially available which still do not have the high degree of reliability desired.
Accordingly, it is obvious that there is a need in the vending machine industry for a coin totalizer mechanism having a structure of relatively simple and efficient design capable of handling a number of coins with varying degrees of coin characteristics and also which is capable of providing high efficiency, reliability and economic feasibility.